North Beach Elementary School in Seattle, Washington

“It's a small school, has a family feel, and has great teachers!!!!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Because it it large enough to have great resources and programs, but small enough that the principal knows every kid (and most of the parents) by name. We often have 100% PTA membership from year to year. Kindness and inclusiveness are core values along with academics. The 'gifted' program isn't all/nothing: kids who might benefit from advanced instruction in math but not English, etc., can still can access that advanced learning in that one area -- a side benefit of this is that you don't end up with a 'clique' mentality of the 'smarties' vs the 'regulars.' New science shows that that division actually hurts BOTH groups.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The dedicated staff and community of families working together to make the school the best it can be!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Without proper leadership a school does not thrive, teacher's settle for the status quo, and children get left behind. Once principal Morningstar left, this school has been struggling to find its momentum behind its leadership and failing. My child's first kindergarten year was under the leadership of Mrs. Morningstar and our year was stellar. Each year since has seen a steady decline in leadership and it is blaringly obvious when an issue arises. While academically I have nothing negative to say about the school, academics is not the only area of importance. I have been extremely disappointed in our last two years at North Beach (2007-2009) and will be sending my child to another school next year.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“North Beach is a small, neighborhood school with caring teachers, very involved parents and a nice selection of extracurricular activities (science club, art club, claymation, chorus, etc.). The principal and staff are open to making changes that benefit the students and nicely balance classroom learning with art and music. My only complaint would be too much homework for the kindergartners. We do have 9-page packets to be completed in a week. Mostly my son enjoys them, but occasionally, after a long day of school, it is just too much for a 5-6 year old.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Good parent involvement and community. There are some great teachers there who really care and some great support staff in the PE dept and a great new resource center counselor who has been very proactive. The parents within the community are also very active. Two major complaints would be the relatively new principal's lack of ability to deal with the parents involvement and concerns and the repetitive nature of some of the math homework which is skewed for testing purposes - lot's of repetition and learning to do it as fast as possible.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I sent my daughter to North Beach for kindergarten - 3rd grade and it was a rather miserable experience for her. We were initially attracted to the school because it was within walking distance and it had 'Spectrum', a public gifted education program, in place. The Saxon Math worksheets were not satisfactory at all, and the staff was not willing to accomodate any different programs for her and the other 'Spectrum' students. I sincerely hope that the math and gifted classes supposedly in place have greatly improved.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Our kindergarten experience at North Beach has been quite different. While there are homework packets every week, we've never received anything 9 pages. There is an understanding that the homework is meant to reinforce the work of the week, however we've never felt any pressure to accomplish everything in the packet and if we did, a quick discussion dismissed that pressure. For our child it has been a great year and has really helped him develop a love of math, science, music, and socialization. His experience with the teachers and principal have been great.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“North Beach has a great feel, lots of parent involvement, principal seems strong. The Kindergarten program, however, is joyless. There is such a focus on test scores at the expense of any choice time, games, or learning centers. It is direct instruction and worksheets all day long with a 9 page homework packet each week. I hope the other grades are more balanced. So far school hasn't been very much fun.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“North Beach reading & math programs are excellent. Several parents transferred their children here to take advantage of a free, high quality public education. Principal involvement is great. Our teachers our dedicated, involved & it is obvious they love what they do. Our school has 100% PTA participation. We have several on-site clubs, a chorus, a drama group & a published newspaper. My son is so proud to be a 'math wizard'. He struggles with reading & receives regular tutoring during the school hours. No need for outside tutoring at this school! My son is so happy here that he can't wait for the PTA general meetings so he can go back to school. This school knows how to have fun too... Bingo nights, Sock Hop, Cake decorating contest & cake walk, Science Fair, Arts & Crafts Fair, just to name a few. My son & I are so happy here!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“North Beach Elementary is a magical place where students consistently earn amongst the highest WASL scores in the city, while also enjoying the sense of community and belonging that comes from attending a small school with huge parent involvement. The teacher-per-student ratio is low -- but made even lower because of the incredible number of parents who -- at all grade levels -- are in the classrooms leading small reading groups, tutoring math, helping with art projects, guiding Great Books discussion groups. It just goes on and on. The PTA's Academic Giving Campaign and other no-pressure activities generate enough money each year to fund our own Resident Artist, Resident Musician, to teach the arts; a Resident Journalist to guide the school paper; Spanish instruction and a bunch of other great programs. We have three young kids, so can't afford the triple wammy of private schools. We're Thankful We Found North Beach.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“North Beach is one of the best schools in the Seattle School District in my opinion. My daughter has had the same academic approach and rigor at all grade levels and has benefited tremendously from the consistency and high academic standards. The parent involvement is exceptionally high and contributes to the great atmosphere. There are numerous extracurricular activities including drama, chess, science, art, and japanese. We love North Beach!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“It being a small really helped my daughter who was a bit shy. Principal knows everybody personally and greets them. In class rooms, each child is given close attention, and will be given more advancenced contents if she/he excells in any particular subject, which I thought was great.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“North Beach is a small school with committed parents and great academics including a spectrum program. During school hours journalism, art, music, spanish and technology are offered. After school drama, chorus, art wizards, mad science,and chess are offered.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“We have a Kindergartner currently enrolled at North Beach Elementary in Seattle Washington. This school ranks in the top 3 public Elementary Schools for academic (WASL) test scores. The teachers are fantastic. The school definitely exceeds our expectations for a public school in our neighborhood. Our child is exceding our highest expectations with regard to how much she learns there everyday. We are very pleased at the variety of programs (music, art, phys ed, etc.) that are available to her beyond the basic academic learning. The school newspaper gets especially high marks from everyone both inside and outside the school. Parent involvement at NB is extremely high. It is part of the community.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“The quality of education at NBE exceeds all of my expectations for a public or private elementary school. Both my 3rd grader and kindergartener are excited to go to school everyday and have developed a joy of learning. I can see that the academic instruction beginning with kindergarten has built a strong foundation in my third grader. In math class he is already learning elements of algebra. The parent/staff community and our new principal has created a warm and inspired atmosphere for my children to learn. I can't imagine sending my children to any other school.”
This review was posted by a parent.